How Music Can Boost Productivity

How Music Can Boost Productivity

If you’ve ever find yourself at work and losing your focus, you aren’t alone. For some people, others talking and moving about the office can be distracting. For some workers, the silence can be deafening. In either case, music can give people something to focus on and boost productivity.

Just any music won’t do. Chris Bailey, author of The Productivity Project, listened to a different type of music for five weeks. He switched up the genre of music each week, even including no music for a week during his research. Here’s what he found.

No matter what type of music he listened to, Bailey’s ability to concentrate was improved. He also found that focusing on music helped drown out the noise in his background. The music was especially helpful while he was working on tasks that were habitual in nature. He also found that familiar songs weren’t as stimulating, allowing him to better concentrate on the task at hand.

Bailey points out that some people feel as though they’ve accomplished more simply because listening to music can increase dopamine levels in the brain. When people feel better at work, they believe they’ve done more at work. This isn’t always the case. When tasks are more complex or are ones that haven’t been undertaken before, music can be distracting. The brain loses some focus on work in favor of focus on the music.

Because each person is unique, Bailey recommends that people experiment with their own work and music combination. Try listening to different types of music and decide whether you were overstimulated or more focused. Determine whether or not you were more productive or less so. By conducting your own experiment with music and work, you may be able to find the perfect soundtrack for your work day.

If you need assistance in boosting productivity for your own small business, reach out to our team. We can help you with a variety of your needs, freeing you up for what’s most important. Call us today.